Shadow of Vengeance
by Mercy at Dawn
Summary: With the Twilight Invasion finally over, Hyrule is entering a new time of peace and prosperity. However, while Hyrule is at peace, a certain hero is not. Following conflicting feelings, the hero sets out to find the answer as to why Light and Shadow cannot supposedly mix. Meanwhile, a dark presence watches eagerly awaiting his revenge on the goddesses for his banishment.
1. Chapter 1

_Thunder rumbled in the distance; wait, it was not thunder, but the sound of Hyrule Castle being decimated in a battle of wills. Two figures looked ahead in the field outside of Castle Town, watching as the Dark Lord Ganondorf strode over the hilltop on his ebony steed. The first figure, a figure garbed in green gasped before his face contorted into one of rage and determination. The final battle was soon to be waged._

_The Dark Lord grinned evilly, and then crushed the piece of the Fused Shadows he held in celebration between gloved fingers._

Link snapped awake, his hand searching for a blade that was not there. He sat up in his bed, rubbing his face tiredly. He grimaced at the rough patches of facial hair that had attempted to worm their way onto his face in the months since his travels across Hyrule, and reluctantly agreed to himself that he needed to shave. . . Eventually.

Link pushed himself fully upright, cursing quietly as he climbed down the ladder that separated his bed from the rest of his tree home. He would never fully understand why it was there, just as he would never understand why he didn't just do something about it.

_But the ability to do something about it takes motivation, doesn't it?_

Link thought to himself groggily as he warmed a bottle of soup over his fireplace. Motivation. That was the one thing he had been lacking since his quest had ended a few months back. He tried not to dwell on the topic, for when he did, feelings arose in his gut that he could not identify.

_I need to leave this place._

For the last couple of months, Ordon had not seemed the homely place it had been for the many years leading up to his becoming of the hero. It seemed confining, like a prison, and Link longed to escape it. He glanced up at a couple of pages he had pinned to his wall depicting the Mirror of Twilight, and the Triforce insignia that rested upon the back of his left hand.

Link had tried not to think of the Twilight Princess too much; the mere thought of her brought memories that threatened to force the Hero of Twilight to his knees, and brought an ache to his chest that seemed to never fade.

The Triforce was said to have been left behind by the goddesses as they ascended into the heavens. It was also said that whoever touched the Triforce could wish for whatever they desired, as long as they had held the perfect balance of its three attributes: Power, Wisdom, and Courage.

Unfortunately for Link, the only person to have ever had the balance to do such had been the original Link, he who had slain the demon Demise and sealed him within the holy blade of the Master Sword.

It was said that the first Link had triumphed through many trials, each time gaining a new piece of the Golden Relic that the goddesses had left to the Sacred Realm.

Of course, it was sealed away after that and then Ganon, and the rest is just the history leading up to the battle months ago.

Link ran a hand over his face, sighing as he downed the final remains of his soup. He stood and placed the bottle within a leather pouch that rested beside of his door. Midna had enchanted the pouch to hold all of the items that he carried on his quest after she became tired of ferrying them around herself.

As he placed the bottle inside, he eyed the Triforce insignia that lay dormant upon the back of his hand. Suddenly, an idea sprang forth to the forefront of his mind. Ganondorf had managed to travel from the Twilight Realm to Hyrule using the power of his Triforce of Power. Maybe the Triforce of Courage could do the same. . .

He stopped the thoughts there.

First off, Link had no clue how to even attempt to use the relic. It had only kicked in on key moments, such as when he was wounded and attempting to evade enemies while the relic's magic took over for his natural healing process.

Second off, power begets corruption. That was the main reason, Link supposed. He didn't want to end up like Ganondorf, consumed by greed for the ancient relic that rested within them.

Them. . . Zelda also had a piece of the Triforce. Link's eyes snapped open fully as he realized this. Zelda not only had a piece of the Triforce, but the piece of Wisdom. Surely she could figure something out.

It was a long shot though, and that thought caused him to deflate again.

Link opened his door a little and glanced outside. The sun was just barely peeking over the horizon and by now most of the villagers would be rising to get to their early morning tasks. Wives would be cooking breakfast for their husbands and children while the husbands prepared for a strenuous day with the crops or the goats.

Before his journey, Link had felt safe in the little town of Ordon. He had felt secure in knowing that he was surrounded by all of his surrogate family members.

Now, no such feeling arose as he glanced over the town. Instead, the desire for travel gripped him tightly, threatening to crush him if he didn't let go.

Link looked to his attire, sizing himself up in the mirror that stood in one corner of his house. He had forsook the tunic that the goddesses had granted him upon gaining his status as a hero, and had even placed his Ordon clothes in another previously unoccupied corner of his room.

With the money he had acquired, he had bought himself a pair of leather pants that were snug, but not tight enough to constrict his movements, and a simple long-sleeved white shirt that had three buttons heading from the base of his neck to his chest. Over that rested an ebony vest. Overall, the outfit was simple and versatile, two things that had always appealed to the farm hand turned hero.

Link grabbed his supply pouch and its belt and made sure it was secure before throwing the strap holding the Ordon sword and its scabbard over his shoulder. He glanced to his shield once before deciding to leave it behind. There weren't many enemies that were left roaming the fields, and he didn't figure he'd be going on another adventure any time soon, so he figured it would best be left at home.

He grabbed a traveling cloak from a hanger by his door and threw it over his shoulders, glad that he had had it custom made to handle his sword. The hilt of the Ordon sword stuck through a hole in the fabric over his left shoulder, giving him the ability to quickly draw it in times of need.

Link threw the hood over his head as he left his home, locking the door behind him. The last thing he needed were nosy creatures and villagers looting whatever he had left behind. He leaped from the ledge leading to his door, and quietly moved over to Epona. The mare raised her head and looked up at him, as if knowing what he was planning.

The hero smiled and offered her an apple he had procured from some of the harvest a couple of days ago. It was still relatively fresh, and with a snap of her head, Epona devoured the fruit in one swoop.

"Sorry to spur you along so early girl, but this feeling in my gut just won't go away." Link explained as he secured her saddle. The mare in question glanced back at him with an expression that seemed to tell him she understood. Link smiled and hopped up on her back, taking one last glance at Ordon before urging Epona along the path that led to Hyrule Field.

He didn't want to wait until everyone was out and about to say goodbye. He couldn't bring himself to witness the shocked and dismayed expressions on the villagers faces as he told them of his plans.


	2. Chapter 2

Wow, I didn't think I would be gone for almost three months. Getting writing inspiration can be tough. I'll see how quickly I can get out the next chapter, but I hope I can get more readers first and foremost. At any rate, Light of Salvation is now down, so the grind is real. Thanks for reading and bearing with me!

* * *

Evening swept across Hyrule like a rain shower, and the citizens that were still roaming the city streets hurried to return to their homes for the night. Link watched on as the people scattered about, and was glad that there would be more room for him to walk. Every time he had visited the bustling town before, he was swept aside by various citizens as he attempted to make his way through the streets.

Link took a few steps forward, pulling his hood down before he started again on his trip to Hyrule Castle. The guards standing out front looked at him suspiciously, but otherwise said nothing to him as he made his way across the bridge that led into the castle courtyard.

This was the thing Link hated about castles. . . Er, castle. SHE lived in a palace. Hyrule Castle seemed as if it were build to be as ridiculously challenging as possible. Straight forward, across the courtyard, sat a gargantuan set of double doors, though only two Hylian-sized doors opened near the bottom.

Afterward, you were left to take spiraling staircase after spiraling staircase and then found yourself stuck in a room that branched off left and right. In Link's previous experiences, it seemed that left was the way to go. After that, there were more unnecessary stairs and finally a door that led outside. Once outside, he had to descend ANOTHER flight of stairs and then enter the Throne Room through a large doorway between the set of stairs he descended and another set on the other side.

By the time Link was through pondering the existence of such stupid castles and had muttered more than a few swears aloud, he found himself standing on the red carpet that led up to Zelda's throne. Guards glared at him beneath their helmets, but Link paid them no mind.

"Ah, and to what do I owe this visit. . . Link of Ordon." The Ordonian could tell that Zelda was struggling not to call him by his title of 'hero'. His lips turned slightly upward at the thought. Link took a few silent steps forward, and then dropped to one knee before the throne.

"I am here for no more than inquiries, Zelda." The guards shuffled a bit at the lack of formality. "That is, if you have the time to provide some possible answers." The monarch in question tilted her head in confusion for a moment, before gesturing to a door to her right.

"Guards, tell anyone who comes for me that I am currently in a dire meeting of which has no determinable time frame. Tell them I will gladly receive them at a later time, preferably tomorrow." Zelda's voice echoed across the throne room, and the guard near the entrance glanced back at her.

"Of course your highness."

"Thank you Gallan. Now, let us go and speak." Link held open the door she had pointed out earlier, allowing her to enter first before closing the door behind him. They appeared to be in some sort of study of sorts. Shelves of books seemed to dominate much of the interior space, with a few shelves housing scrolls here and there. Near the middle a desk sat with a lone chair, which Zelda sat upon moments later.

The hero himself settled for leaning up against one of the sturdier looking shelves as the princess glanced up at him with an intrigued expression. Link parted his lips to speak, but the monarch beat him to the punch, so to speak.

"This is about Midna . . . Isn't it?"

"Of course. I've no other reason to up and leave my home. My journey is finished."

Zelda nodded solemnly, and pulled a dusty tome from a shelf behind her. She did not stop there, however. Behind the dusty tome lay another book, one that appeared to have been read recently.

She pulled the golden tome from its hiding place, and carefully sat it on the desk that separated the two Hylians.

"I knew you would come." Zelda glanced briefly to the currently-dormant symbol that decorated the back of her hand.

"I figured as much. What information can you tell me?" Link didn't have time to play games. His blunt attitude came as no surprise to Zelda, though she did shoot him an irritated look. She opened the book about midway, laying a slender finger on one of the paragraphs.

"This is the ocarina played used by the Hero of Time. The melodies played on the ocarina had the ability control certain events. However, what is very intriguing is this." The princess skipped a couple of sentences and pointed toward a set of complex notes.

"The ocarina, known as the Ocarina of Time, was able to teleport the Hero of Time to various locations. The sages, years later, attempted to write a measure that would allow transportation into the Twilight Realm should peace ever befall both realms and safer communication ever be required."

"The problem?" Link asked, staring over the odd musical notes. Zelda pointed to another section of text.

"The beginning of the melody is here," Zelda pointed to the three notes, "but the last five notes reside in temples hidden in plain sight. These temples were hidden away after the hero of the sky people vanquished the first great evil."

"Looks like we're going to have to do some more digging."

* * *

Within the confines of its dark prison, a terrifying evil grinned sinisterly as its plans began to unfold. The hero was unknowingly a pawn in this game that it had devised, as was the garish man who had tasted the evil's dark power.

The princess, despite all of his efforts, was the only one who was unable to be swayed; however, the nightmares would get to her eventually.

The darkness flicked its eyes around madly, using its power to spy on the inhabitants of Hyrule. How senseless and idiotic these creatures were. The evil cackled as it drew up brilliant plans in its head.

It couldn't move, not yet. The goddesses had made sure that it wouldn't be able to escape until their so called 'hero' could properly defeat it, but they hadn't counted on the darkness' wit.

Sure, it was unable to move, and they had stripped him of all but the most basic abilities, but Hylians were fickle creatures. The slightest pokes in their mind could change their entire way of life. The Triforce wouldn't allow it to outright tip things in its favor, but it had ways of working around this.

For thousands of years, it had waited in the prison under the mountain. A few more weeks would be nothing for a creature of such patience.

The darkness let loose an unearthly noise from within itself, and within moments an abomination stood before it. The abomination was easily over seven feet tall, with a scarred face and twisted limbs. A blade grew from each of its forearms, each one equally deadly as shadows danced across.

"You called. . . Masssster?" The word 'master' was spoken as if one were casting a scalding item from their tongue. The darkness didn't give the minion a second glance.

"It is time."

The creature nodded once, then again, and then faded into the shadows from which it had been born.

All the darkness needed was a bit of blood. Blood from someone possessing magical power. That blood would be his, and he would rise once more to cloak the land in shadows.


End file.
